Gertrude Weil

“Goldsboro-born reformer Gertrude Weil was so modest about her accomplishments that she would just as soon have let the dust gather on her memory. But her humane and almost super-human engagement with the social, political, and moral advance of twentieth-century North Carolina’s workers, women, and children (black and white, Jews and Gentiles) makes Rogoff’s comprehensive, clear-eyed volume a moving and very welcome addition to the annals of Jewish history, women’s history, and the progressive tradition that still shapes the Tar Heel state today. Not all her battles were won—and many still remain—but this didn’t stop Gertrude Weil and it shouldn’t stop us.”—Emily Bingham, author of Irrepressible

“This first major biography of Gertrude Weil tells the story of an amazing southern Jewish New Woman who lived virtually all of her life in the house in which she was born but whose impact reverberated widely. In her story we see the power of localism, sisterhood across religious boundaries, and intellect, politics, and wealth used to advance and improve society. It reveals a blend of religious and familial devotion that helped to secure Weil against the prejudices of anti-Semitism and the seductions of Christian universalism.” — Deborah Dash Moore, author of Urban Origins of American Judaism

“Gertrude Weil draws deeply on historical archives as well as firsthand interviews with Weil’s family, neighbors, friends, and associates, and makes an important contribution to our understanding of a wide swath of American life, southern life, Jewish history, women’s history, and the history of race relations and social justice in America.”—Joyce Antler, author of The Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America

“Invites further research into the history of southern Jewish women’s organizations, specifically how these women’s racial and class identities both broadened and constrained their otherwise cosmopolitan worldviews.”—Journal of Southern History

“Though today Weil is largely not remembered, Rogoff, in the first full-length biography of her, offers a fascinating and informative account that not only examines her activism but also effectively situates her within the context of American social, economic, and political history.”—Journal of American History

“A smoothly written biography [and] an important contribution to the field.”—American Jewish Archives Journal

“An engaging portrayal of this remarkable North Carolinian, a portrayal that is long overdue. Rogoff is to be commended for this detailed, exhaustively researched volume.”—Journal of North Carolina Association of Historians

“A must-read for those interested in Jewish women’s history. . . . Will also be inspirational and highly relevant for anyone interested in progressive politics and activism.”—Library Journal

“The world came to Gertrude Weil’s door, and Leonard Rogoff shows . . . that she, in turn, bridged worlds. . . . Explores the unique intersectionality of social moment and movement her life offers.”—Foreword Reviews

“In capturing the expansive life of a southern lady, clubwoman, activist, and Jew, Rogoff has made important contributions to US Jewish, women’s and southern histories. Highly recommended.”—CHOICE